In some good news, a space in Midtown overrun with cars is finally being given back to the pedestrians. Canoe plaza has officially opened, adding a green landscape to the formerly car-blighted lot. Shanti Nagel designed the avenue-long park on 36th Street between 9th and 10th Avenue. The development has occurred thanks to Quandrum Global, owner of the Arlo Hotel brand prominent throughout New York City.
Ahead of the 17th anniversary of 9/11, the first subway trains began to stop and deliver passengers in and out of the newly opened Cortlandt Street subway stop on the 1 train, which was closed for nearly two decades from the collapse of the Twin Towers. Today, with a long, bright and expansive platform, the entrance from the Oculus can be found on the western side of its second floor while coming down from the Greenwich Street doors, or from the street, thanks to a series of double stairways and an ADA-accessible elevator next to the Memorial and future Performing Arts Center.
The NYC Ferry system has announced two expanded routes which will now include the Lower East Side, Manhattan, and The Bronx. The expanded service arrives as a joint initiative with The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and Hornblower, a private cruise and charter company that operates NYC’s ferry network.
Things are looking up for North America’s worst airport. Construction is moving along at the LaGuardia Airport renovation and expansion in East Elmhurst, Queens. The $8 billion overhaul of the transport hub hopes to alleviate the airport of its notorious struggle with constant delays and cancellations, a source of national embarrassment and numerous dubious honors, like being ranked the 14th worst airport in the world. LaGuardia Gateway Partners (LGP) is behind the project.
Plans by the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) have been submitted to the Landmark Preservation Commission calling for alterations of the Brooklyn Bridge. The designs call for a revamping of the bridge’s famous Towers and the arch blocks along the Manhattan approach. This program will address ailments on a portion of the bridge many residents of New York City don’t often see. The arch blocks have fallen into a state of dilapidation. The current condition is a stain on the reputation of the international icon, and yet another example of the city failing to adequately maintain a national landmark.
